NovelEnglishOn the other side of town, Fitch hung up the phone and stared at the pile of documents spread out before him. They contained the
files of death row inmates from the prison where Queena had been held.
If Queena had been replaced, the most likely candidates for such a swap would be other death row inmates from the sfacility -
the perfect way to avoid suspicion.
But on the day the execution was carried out, there were only two individuals on the docket. Both files had been thoroughly vetted.
One was Queena's, and the other belonged to a woman.
Fitch had already been to Oakford, searching for Queena's ashes, but they had been scattered into the sea.
He'd looked into the other executed woman's background and found she had been her mother's sole companion. Tragically, the
person she murdered was her own mother.
Therefore, her ashes also went unclaimed, as no relative wanted anything to do with the remains of a convicted killer.
Fitch frowned, turning to his assistant.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Are this woman's ashes still held by the prison since no one claimed them?"
"Sir, if no one claims them, they're usually disposed of in snondescript manner."
"Check it out, see if there's anything left of the ashes."
Despite his orders, Fitch suspected the ashes were presumably long gone.
Sure enough, within an hour, his man reported back. The ashes had been processed, mixed with others, and hauled away. If no one
claimed them, they were simply discarded. Now, even if he tried to track them down, it would lead nowhere.
Fitch then reviewed all the surveillance footage from the day of Queena's execution. Everything appeared normal.
He was about to inquire about Bernard's political rivals to see if they had picked up on any leads, when his phone rang. It was
Bernard.
"Fitch, I've got a target on my back. I'll have to stay put for a while. Could you occasionally check on lan for me? I've got Sarah
working on a cure, but she says it'll take stime."
Fitch knew Sarah's capabilities. If she was really focused on finding an antidote for lan, she could probably have something in three
months.
"What about Patric?"
"He's been detained. They need him to help monitor sdata before he's released. After all, his body is technically Eric's. No one
wants to make things too difficult."
Fitch stayed silent, his alertness heightened, yet Bernard's replies were seamless. And if Bernard truly intended to harm lan's body,
why would he allow him to visit anytime?
"Uncle Bernard, am | allowed to see lan whenever?"
"Fitch, lan is your friend, and you're worried about him, right? | don’t trust anyone else with this, and now that I'm under
surveillance, it's hard to ensure no one will take a shot at him."
That made sense. lan had made quite the nfor himself, and Holden's apprentices had been eyeing positions for him,
potentially encroaching on others’ turf.
To the outside world, Bernard and lan had a good relationship. Now that Bernard was being watched, lan was inadvertently thrust
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏminto the limelight.
"l understand, Uncle Bernard. I'll cby to see lan whenever | get the chance.”
After hanging up, Fitch replayed the conversation in his mind, but everything seemed to check out. Still, he trusted Maja's instincts.
He raised his hand to massage his temples.
Meanwhile, Bernard, after ending the call, looked at the two cryogenic caskets before him. A smile curled on his lips as he caressed
the edges, a gesture filled with nostalgia.
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